Thomas Elisha Bebber Sr
The Taylorsville Times published this information
Sheriff Thomas Elisha Bebber and Deputy Joe James had gone to the home of Jones Ellis, in Taylorsville, where Ellis’ unemployed son, Willard, 38, had been causing a domestic dispute. Deputy James reported that the Sheriff’s Office had received a call from R.Z. Matheson, next door neighbor of the Ellises, saying Jones Ellis, 71, was at his residence, and requested him to call the Sheriff to come to the Ellis home and talk to Willard, and see if they could get Willard, who was not married, to stop abusing his father.
Deputy James, then 29, stated that he and Sheriff Bebber, 53, drove Bebber’s car to Matheson’s driveway, which lay between the two houses. James related that the and the Sheriff talked to Matheson and Jones Ellis a few minutes. Mr. Ellis told the officers that he wanted them to talk to Willard and tell him to get out and get a job. Willard had paid but little on his board since getting out of the Army a number of years earlier, Jones Ellis told the Sheriff.
Sheriff Bebber laughed, and said he would talk to Ellis’ son, but couldn’t tell him to get a job.
Unarmed, Bebber and James walked with Jones Ellis to the back door of the home, where they met Mrs. Ellis, who told the officers that she thought Willard was upstairs. Bebber and James looked through the downstairs rooms and, not finding Willard, began to walk up the staircase.
A shot was heard, James said, and Bebber fell back into his arms, saying, “Lord, I’m shot.”
James assisted Bebber down the stairs. R. Z. Matheson had heard the shot and ran inside, assisting James in getting the Sheriff outdoors. James ran to Matheson’s phone to call for an ambulance and other officers. James then got his gun out of the Sheriff’s car and started to re-enter the Ellis home, but Matheson warned against it, saying he would get shot, too.
An ambulance arrived on the scene in a few minutes and took Bebber to the hospital, but he was dead on arrival.
The Highway Patrol was alerted and sent tear gas guns and hand grenades here to help drive Ellis from the house. In the meantime, guards from the local prison camp, and Town officers and local Highway Patrolman arrived.
R.Z. Matheson, knowing Ellis, told the group to let him try to talk him into a surrender. About 35 minutes after the shooting, Willard Ellis emerged out the back door of the home and was taken into custody. He was convicted October 1, 1959, of the first degree murder of Elisha Bebber and was sentenced to life in prison. Willard Ellis died in prison on May 21, 2002.
In the aftermath, the County Commissioners appointed Elisha’s son, Thomas Elisha “Tom” Bebber, Jr., to be Sheriff of Alexander County. Tom had experience as a law officer, having worked about six months with the Hickory Police Department, but had left policing to work the family farm about two months before his father’s death. He filled his father’s unexpired term, then in 1962 was elected to the NC State House (its youngest member). Afterward, in 1970, he was elected as Alexander County Sheriff and served five terms, retiring in 1990. Tom is the longest serving Sheriff in the county’s history, with 22.5 years of service.
On June 2nd, 2017 the Alexander County Law Enforcement Center was named in honor of Sheriff Bebber.
Story: Courtesy of The Taylorsville Times